Oregon Football Tight End Group Overflowing With Talent
In the amount of practice time that I’ve been able to see so far, one of the position groups that has really stood out to me the most has been the tight end group. Led by Spencer Webb along with Patrick Herbert, hopefully, DJ Johnson (not present through first two practices), Cam McCormick, and freshmen Moliki Matavao and Terrance Ferguson, this group has hulking size and is ready to make an impact.
Cam McCormick has battled injuries for the last three seasons, and he was a player you could tell is happy to be out on the practice fields of the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex, running routes and catching passes with his teammates once again.
Last season, Offensive Coordinator Joe Moorhead was dealt a tough hand trying to implement his brand new offensive scheme during a time where there was very limited contact with players and practice time. That, coupled with battling the pandemic and and injuries to Webb, Herbert, and McCormick, the Ducks were not particularly deep at tight end.
Moorhead recalled those issues and just how hard it was to get on the right footing with those setbacks.
“Thinking back, they’re guys who, outside of DJ [Johnson] and Spence [Webb], some of those other guys have not had a significant role, but you’d rather sacrifice the talent for the experience.”
Now, with a healthy and deep tight end room, the competition level is high in camp and Moorhead loves it.
“They’re multiple, it’s a key position,” Moorhead said. “Coach Williams does a great job developing them and they all have a little bit of a different style. Everyone is getting reps and everyone is fighting for opportunities.”
The Ducks signed arguably the top haul of tight ends nationally in the 2021 recruiting cycle and had the added luxury of having both freshmen enroll early in the winter. They've put in the work in the weight room and are now both in the 250 to 260 pound range, standing at a towering 6-foot-6.
Ferguson had the ability to be flexed out wide for Heritage High School in Colorado, often times fulfilling more of a receiver role than a tight end role. Now that he's in Eugene, the staff is working to add weight to his frame, but preserve the elite athleticism and ball skills that made him such a big-time addition.
Matavao, an Adidas All-American, is clearly no slouch in his own right. He too was flexed out wide by his high school coaching staff and worked out of the slot multiple times.
He play style is more along the lines of a DJ Johnson, playing with a bit more physicality and proving to be nearly impossible to bring down with just one defender. Matavao is also a capable blocker that isn't afraid to deliver the boom to open up running lanes.
This is one of the deepest tight end groups we've seen in a while in Eugene and there's plenty of reason for excitement.
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